A Change of Fate
by JT Jewels
Summary: When the lord of chaos and order & father time come together to help Ranma Saotome, what will happen? Will their actions help or hurt Ranma? One thing is for sure... he's not engaged to Akane anymore. Please R&R! Rated M for language and lemons later on.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½, so lawyers can go shove it

Hello peoples, and welcome to my new fic, 'A Change of Fate'. I know it's not the best title in the world, but hey, I don't really have a better idea at the moment, so we'll live with it. Anyway, this was basically an idea that popped into my head while I was watching Ranma ½, and I thought, 'I'd better write this before the idea disappears!' so here it is, please enjoy!

* * *

It was a particular rainy day, however there seemed to be more people out than there would usually be on such a crummy day. Some of these people bore witness to something they would not soon forget, and would often hear about afterward; a five foot tall redhead dressed in Chinese silk clothing running barefoot with a gigantic panda tailing her. Coming to a 'T' intersection, the girl swiveled on her heels and got into a fighting stance. From there the girl said a few words of protest to the panda before knocking it out. Waltzing over to the panda, the girl picked up the backpack it was carrying and went back the way they had come. Suddenly, without warning, the panda rose once more in quick recovery, picked up a street sign, and knocked the redheaded girl out instantly. Picking her and the pack up, it walked in the direction they were going originally. It could feel the intense stares of onlookers, and the panda's irritation grew. Finally it stopped and growled at the people before continuing forward to its destination.

The panda finally arrived at its destination, girl and pack in hand. It knocked on the door a couple of times and rang the doorbell. Shortly after it could hear the thumps of someone running to greet them. The door opened to reveal a girl with a bob cut dressed in a kimono. The girl's expression went from anxious to frightened in an instant when she realized just what had beaconed her to the front door. The girl turned around, and began running in the opposite direction with an older gentlemen who had followed her. The panda followed her in. By this time, the redhead had already regained consciousness and was throwing insults at the panda. As they went deeper into the residence, they finally reached a destination at what seemed like a family room type setting. There sat two other girls, one a few years older than the second. The girl who answered the door ran behind the youngest looking girl in fear. The old man that had followed the girl stopped in front of the panda. Now that they were all in the same room, the panda set the redhead down and turned her around. The older man looked at her intently, and scrutinized her thoroughly. Finally, he spoke,

"You… wouldn't happen to be Ranma, would you?"

The girl looked at the ground with red cheeks, and responded apologetically,

"I'm Ranma Saotome… sorry 'bout this…"

Thus began the story of Ranma ½ as we know it… until something else happened. Somewhere far, far away from Nerima, there sat an elderly man watching a tv monitor. There were millions of them, most of which viewed one person's life. The man watched each carefully, making sure everything was alright. He was accompanied by another older gentleman, whom which held a staff and an hourglass. One of them was father time. The other was the lord of chaos and order. Either man worked in tandem with one another to make sure that life on earth would remain peaceful to an extent. The lord of chaos and order looked at the screen of Ranma Saotome, and of Akane Tendo. He knew what would happen; the two would be tied together and put through many a hardship, and would never actually admit their love for one another. The lord of chaos and order did not like this. He knew that Ranma Saotome, being the strongest martial artist in the world, deserved to have someone love him openly. To his dismay, he was too late to change anything before they were put together. This is when father time stepped in,

"Lord, me thinks if you wish to change his destiny, you should simply consult me, no?"

"I must ask, so you really think that you can lawfully reverse time for him?"

"If you must know, it is very possible for everyone's life is in their own time. To one person, their life might flow at a different speed or 'tempo' than another's. Thus, the reality they exist in simply has it's own set time aside from any other's. This means simply that I can change the boy's destiny without breaking a single law."

"I know you're just bullshitting that."

"I know… but what I said _is _proven by quantum physics!"

"I know, but it _is _simply philosophical bullshit."

"Indeed. However, the ends justify the means."

"I would love to say that you used the idiom correctly, but unfortunately not so much."

"Well forget about it. I'll help you anyway. So, shall we get started?"

"Yes indeed we shall. Ranma Saotome is our man."

"Which one?"

"What do you mean—oh, yeah right… the one from Nerima."

"Nerima, Tokyo?"

"Yes, where else?"

"I understand. I will be right back."

Father time left for a few moments, and returned once more holding a rather large hourglass,

"Wow, that damn thing could break your toes if you dropped it."

"You're not a kiddin', but this ain't nothin' compared to Cologne's."

"What, the Amazon elder?"

"Yeah, you wanna' see _that _thing?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Not now though, because we have to take care of Ranma's time right now."

"What, we only have a limited amount of time?"

"Yes we do, for I can only reverse time to a certain extent without damaging one's life."

"Well see that's when _I _come into the picture, so that I can _keep _that order."

"Right, like the last time I did this a few years ago and you forgot what you did for that person and royally screwed the pooch."

"Oh come off it ya' old fart, let's just get this thing over with!"

"You ain't so young yourself ya' old goat. Anyway, here goes nothin'!"

Father time flipped the large hourglass, making the sand inside spill in the opposite direction. Lord of chaos and order watched the screen intently, waiting for the moment he wanted. Then, suddenly, he saw what he wanted,

"Hey stop! That's where I want it!"

"Alright!"

Father time began to flip it once more, but was interrupted by the lord,

"Hold on though, don't flip it all the way! Make it so that time doesn't move for a sec!"

"Alright, I'll try… haven't done _that _in _thousands _of years."

Father time laid the hourglass on its side, where the sand stopped flowing,

"Thanks, now let's do the same for Kasumi Tendo."

"Okay, I'll be back."

Father time left once more, and returned once again with Kasumi's hourglass,

"Wonderful, now turn her clock back to the same time, think you can do that?"

"Yes I can."

Father time did the same thing, and on the lord's request stopped her time as well,

"Alright, now that we've got _that _straightened out, let's get down to business, shall we?"

"Indeed, what would you like me to do?"

"All I need you to do is start their times at the same time when I say so, kay?"

"Alright, will do my friend."

"Good."

With that, lord of chaos and order began to type something into the database that he was connected to. A few minutes later he gave the signal to father time,

"Okay, on three you start their time again, got it?"

"Alright, on your command!"

"Good, here goes nothin'… one, two, THREE!"

Right on three, father time flipped the two hourglasses, starting them once more. The lord watched both screens intently to see if time had really resumed motion. Each monitor showed movement, meaning that their lives had been started once more,

"Yes, success!"

"Hooray, that's wonderful!"

"I thank you very much old friend, you've done more than I could have ever wanted."

"Oh come now, I don't deserve _that _much thanks!"

"Oh but you do! I don't give you nearly enough credit…"

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I think we can save that for another day. Let's see if your actions were successful."

"I agree. Let's sit back and watch."

"Indeed."

With that, time had resumed and Ramna Saotome, along with Kasumi Tendo, were given new fates by the lord of chaos and order.

* * *

Hey, how did you all like this story so far? I suddenly got an idea that popped into my head, and I needed to write it. As such, I thank anyone who has read this and I will hopefully update soon. Well, please leave a kind review and have a wonderful day!

-JT Jewels


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½, so lawyers can go die in a hole.

Hello peoples, and welcome to the second chapter of _A Change of Fate_! I am happy to see so many new fans emerging after only one chapter! This has got to be the best story I've written and posted yet. I thank everyone for their support, and without further adieux, chapter two!

* * *

So, the events of Ranma ½ up to the point of the Tendo dojo were exactly the same; Ranma and Genma still went into Jusenkyo and picked up their curses, and the Tendo daughters knew nothing of them. However it was what would happen _after _the Saotome's arrival at the Tendo residence that would be significantly different that it had been originally. A panda, holding a small redhead over one shoulder and a backpack in the other, knocked on the front door of the residence, and rang the doorbell. It was greeted by an anxious looking girl with a bob cut and dressed in a kimono. Her expression changed to shock after realizing what had just beaconed her to the front door. She scrambled in the opposite direction of the panda, shortly followed by a middle aged man that had followed her. Not long after the man turned tail, the panda trailed him. They soon arrived in the Tendo dining room, where the panda noticed two more girls sitting at the table. One was a year or so older than the girl from the front door, and the other was a year younger, the panda judged by their appearances. With that in mind, he remembered what exactly it was it was carrying, as the constant insults and protests seemed to nag in its ears.

The panda set the girl down in front of the middle aged gentleman. He looked the girl over carefully, and his face became that of slight bewilderment before speaking,

"Uh… you wouldn't happen to be… Ranma, would you?"

The redhead blushed furiously and stared hard at the ground as she tried to avoid visual contact with everyone in the room. She replied tentatively and apologetically,

"I'm Ranma Satome… sorry 'bout this…"

The mustachioed man scrutinized her once more before pulling her in for a bear hug,

"Oh at long last you're finally here, oh how I've waited for this day to… wha…" the man stopped abruptly, and squeezed the pigtailed girl a couple of times before holding her at arm's length to look at her,

"Y-you're… you're a…"

The girl who greeted the panda and the redhead at the door walked over and began to stare at the chest of the pigtailed girl. Then she raised her hand and squeezed the redhead's breast a couple of times,

"He's a girl!"

The man stepped back before feeling faint, as the room began spinning around him and he blacked out.

* * *

The middle aged man awoke to find many worried faces leaning over him. He lay in his position, feeling the pain of his findings. His supposed 'heir' to the dojo was really a girl…

'How could it be so?' he thought, 'I simply can't believe Saotome has a daughter—he specifically told me he had a son!' The oldest daughter spoke,

"Look guys, he's coming to!"

"Daddy, this is all _your _fault!"

"Saotome told me specifically that he had a son, a son I tell you!"

"Tell me daddy, does _this _look like a guy to you?!"

The girl slapped Ranma's chest a couple of times,

"I… really wish you'd stop that."

The youngest girl stepped in to defend the redhead,

"Nabiki, stop that, he—I mean, she's our guest! Hey, my name's Akane, do you want to be friends?"

Ranma looked blankly at her for a moment before shaking her head positively and giving a small grin. The two of them got up and went to the Tendo dojo where they stood on opposite sides of the training mat,

"So, you study kempo?"

"A little…"

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you, kay?"

"Sure…" With Ranma's response, Akane began her offense,

"Okay, here goes! Hiiiya!"

Akane ran at Ranma and threw a regular punch, to which Ranma dodged easily. Akane continued to throw left right combos at the redhead, with none of her attacks connecting. This began to frustrate her,

'Why can't I hit her?' she thought heatedly. Finally her frustration caught up to her,

"Fine, this time I'm not holding back! HIIIYAAA!!"

She went flying forward with a powerful punch, putting a fairly large hole into the wall. When she realized she'd connected with the wall, she looked up to find Ranma already flipping over to land behind her. A second later she felt a finger in the back of her head. She turned around to find Ranma with a small grin on her face. She laughed in disbelief, while Ranma laughed nervously with her,

"Wow, you're pretty good. I'm just glad you're not a boy."

Ranma's face fell when she heard those words.

* * *

With her workout done, Ranma went up to the guest room where she and the panda were going to stay. When she reached the top of the stairs, she was met by Kasumi,

"Oh my, look at you Ranma, you're all sweaty. Here, I'll go run you a bath."

"Oh, no I don't think I need to but—thanks anyway—"

"Oh no, I _insist _Ranma. Don't worry, you'll enjoy it I promise."

"O-okay… if you say so…"

Ranma knew there would be trouble… _big _trouble. When Kasumi was done filling the furo, she called Ranma down before leaving it to the redheaded girl. Ranma stripped down, sat down on a bath stool and rinsed off with cold water,

"Brr… that's cold… well, time to hop in I guess…"

She hopped in, only to have her hair change black, and her body to become that of a young man's. This was Ranma's true form, a boy. He sat nervously in the bathtub, constantly asking himself,

"What am I going to do… man, what am I going to do?"

While Ranma sat in the bathtub, Akane was walking in with a wash bucket and some other cleaning utensils. She looked over to see Ranma's cloths in the hamper, 'Oh, I guess we can both take a bath' she thought. Just before she could take off her gi however, her oldest sister called to her,

"Akane, could you please come help me with something?"

"O-okay, just a second Kasumi!"

Akane redid her gi, and ran from the back of the house to the kitchen. Ranma had hidden under the water in fear of Akane walking in. However he heard loud footsteps running away from the furo. He sighed in relief, and thought, 'Man, that was a close call… well, I'd better get out before anything else happens.' With that he got up, dried off, got dressed, and hopped out of the bathroom window. Shortly after he jumped out, Akane walked in to find no one in the furo,

"Huh, that's strange… I didn't _see _her come out. Oh well, better get some relaxation." With that she hopped in and forgot about her stresses for a while.

* * *

Two middle aged men sat across from one another. One with long black hair and a thick, bushy black mustache, the other wearing strange looking glasses and a light blue bandana on his head. The mustachioed man spoke first,

"So that's how it is, my dear friend Genma?"

"Indeed… the life of a martial artist is fraught with perils, my dear friend Soun."

"Well, let's hope for the best shall we Saotome?"

"We shall indeed Tendo!"

The two men shared a toast before sipping down a cup of sake. They were interrupted when a young man showed up right next to them in the entryway from the koi pond,

"Hey pop, Mr. Tendo!"

Soun stared at the boy for a moment, then replied,

"And just who are you?"

"I'm… Ranma Saotome… sorry 'bout this…"

"You _must _be joking. Ranma Saotome is a girl, not a… boy…"

Soun suddenly remembered what his good friend had told him only moments before,

"Uh—um… please forgive me… I, I was too quick to judge. Anyway, I'm Soun Tendo. It is a pleasure to meat you."

"Yeah, pleasure's all mine. So, when we havin' dinner?"

"Patience my boy, patience. First you must meet my three lovely daughters!"

Ranma gave him a puzzled look. Soun sat there for a few moments in dead lock with the boy before getting up and rounding up all his daughters,

"Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane, please come down to the family room! We've got guests!"

Kasumi was the first to arrive,

"Oh my, more guests? Well, would either of you like some tea?"

"Yes," answered the two men in unison. Kasumi then left to get the two some tea. Next to come in was Nabiki,

"So, I see we have some new guests. Interesting…"

Finally Akane arrived, and was surprised to see the new guests,

"Man, more guests? Say, where are Ranma and her panda?"

"You'll know soon Akane dear, you'll know soon."

Akane was confused by her father's words, but decided to worry about it later. Kasumi returned once more with a tray of tea cups filled with oolong tea. She set one in front of each place on the table. Ranma and Genma both took seats opposite of Akane and Nabiki, Soun seating himself across from Kasumi at the head of the table. Now with everyone settled, Soun spoke,

"Alrighty then, if everyone is ready to begin, then we will start by re-introducing our guests. This is—"

"Genma Saotome, and this is my son—"

"Ranma Saotome, sorry 'bout this…"

The three girls looked at either one of the two men stunned; since when was Ranma's father here, and since when was Ranma a boy? Their thoughts were interrupted by Genma,

"Well I suppose I should explain… hmm… where to start though… hmm… I know! Boy, be ready!! Hiyaaa!"

Genma threw his son into the koi pond, only to have a daughter surface instead,

"What the—"

"Yes indeed, it all started a couple weeks earlier…"

_

* * *

Flashback_

_ Deep in the Bayankala Mountain Range, Qinghai province, there is an ancient, cursed training ground known as 'Jusenkyo'. Here there lye hundreds of cursed springs, each with a tragic story of a creature who had drowned in it. Many a different people came from all over the world to visit the springs, with a select few of them coming back un-cursed. It is also known as a famous training ground, however many martial artist who come also leave with a curse; this curse being anyone who fell into a spring, would take the body of whatever had drowned there. The curse, activated by cold water, would change a person's form to an animal of some sort, or, in special cases, the opposite sex. When doused with hot water, they would return to normal. The curse of the springs, ironically, is what draws many tourists to the training grounds. As such, there is always a guide that shows them what the springs do, and will give them warnings about what could happen should anyone fall into the spring accidentally. Some however are foolish enough to ignore the man's speech and fall into the spring, only to surface as an animal. _

_ Despite all of the warnings and the danger, Genma Saotome pressed on with his son, Ranma. They had been on a ten year training trip, and were just about to return to Japan; however, Jusenkyo was one of their last stops before returning to the island. They had crossed all of China, learned many things and become two of the greatest martial artist known to man; however, being the best martial artist in the world didn't mean that they could read Chinese,_

"_Hey pop, where we goin' next?"_

_ "We're going to the famous sacred training ground of Jusenkyo!"_

"_Yeah, what makes it so special?"_

_ "Well, they say that there's hundreds of cursed hot springs that change you into an animal if you fall in."_

"_Huh, think that's true?"_

_ "Hard to tell, but we'll find out when we get there! Now let's GO!"_

_ With that, the two of them ran over the crest of the hill they were climbing to find a valley filled with hundreds of springs, each with a bamboo stock sticking out of it. Genma's expression brightened while Ranma's stayed blank,_

"_Ya' see that boy?! That's what we've been lookin' for!"_

_ "Oh, and how do you know this isn't just some hot spring resort?"_

"_Just shut up and trust me Ranma!"_

_ "Whatever. Well, if we're gonna go, let's go!"_

_ Ranma ran ahead of his father, to which Genma hurriedly followed. The two reached the edge of the training grounds before being met by the Jusenkyo guide,_

"_Why hello sirs, this be the famous cursed training ground, Jusenkyo. Here, there many spring, all with own tragic story of what happen there—hey, what you two doing?!"_

_ The two 'foreigners' had already perched upon their respective bamboo poles, much to the dismay of the guide,_

"_Please sirs, you come down from there, is dangerous!!"_

_ He was promptly ignored,_

"_Alright Ranma, I'm not gonna go easy on ya', so be prepared!"_

_ "That's just the way I like it, come at me!"_

_ Genma proceeded with his attack, only to have Ranma dodge his attacks. Ranma staged his own counter attack, however Genma evaded and landed on a pole a distance away from Ranma. They repositioned before both jumping at one another and launching simultaneous attacks upon one another. After some punches and kicks, they broke once more and had a stare down. Finally, Genma lunged at Ranma, only to be kicked in the face and sent hurdling towards one of the springs. Ranma waited for his old man to re-emerge, but he remained underwater,_

"_Hey pops, we done already? What's the hold up?"_

_ He was surprised when suddenly a giant panda erupted out of the spring his father was just in,_

"_W-w-what the hell is that?!"_

_ The Jusenkyo guide shook his head in pity before answering the distressed teen,_

"_Oh, too bad, he fall in spring of drown panda. There very tragic story of panda who drown there two thousand year ago. Now, anyone who fall in spring take body of panda!"_

_ "Say _what?!_"_

_ Before he could react, the panda took him by surprise and knocked him into a spring. When he resurfaced, he could tell something was different; something was… wrong. For some reason he could tell his gi was rather small, but the chest was still fine, save the fact that he could tell there were two gigantic lumps there. He also felt a distinct absence of a certain 'appendage'. With those feelings, he decided to do some investigating with his hands. If just feeling the proof wasn't enough, the Jusenkyo guide had to elaborate,_

"_Oh, too bad, you fall in spring of drowned girl," Ranma knew already what had happened by now, but his shock and denial led him to have visual proof of his transformation. He opened his gi to find a pair of rather voluptuous mounds, "Very tragic story of girl who drown there one thousand year ago. Now, whoever fall in spring take body of young girl!"_

_ Ranma simply screamed at the top of her lungs, cursing her father for ever daring come to this cursed place, without even being able to read a _word _of Chinese._

_End Flashback_

* * *

"Oh it breaks a father's heart so see his one and only son given such a cruel fate—oof!"

"Oh cut the drama pop, this _is _all your fault anyway! Besides, now you're a panda!!"

Ranma hurdled the old man out the doors and into the koi pond, effectively turning him into a panda. The panda, after getting out of the pond, threw the boy into the same pond, once again changing him back into a girl,

"Oh now you're gonna get it! Com'ere!"

She began fighting the panda where it sat, much to the three girls' amusement. Soun, knowing that the time would pass if he did not do something soon, sat up straight before putting a hand upon Ranma's shoulder,

"Come now, your situation really isn't all that bad!"

"My oldest daughter Kasumi, she's nineteen, over her my daughter Nabiki, she's seventeen, and here's my daughter Akane, she's sixteen. Pick whichever one you'd like, she'll be your fiancée!"

"Say _what?!"_

"Now come on boy, be a man and choose the one you want most!"

Kasumi and Nabiki got up instantly and put their hands on Akane's shoulders,

"Hey, I think that Akane is _perfect _for you!"

"Yes, I agree with Nabiki!"

"Hey you guys, what are you—"

"Think about it Akane, you don't like boys, and Ranma's half girl."

"But I—"

"Mr. Tendo… I apologize, and I appreciate the offer, but I'm going to have to decline. I need to find a cure for this curse, and I can't be worrying about some stupid fiancée!"

"Now you listen here Ranma, we didn't come all the way here just to have you turn around and go back for that stupid cure! You need to choose a bride before you can even _think _about leaving this place!"

"I agree with you Saotome, he is obligated to choose one of my daughters for marriage!"

"Yeah, and who said I was obligated?!"

"Boy, I had already promised to have you marry one of Tendo's daughters and carry on the Tendo dojo! There is _no _way you would walk out on them, lest you lose all of your honor as a martial artist!"

"You know what, fine! There's one condition however; I want one week to decide. If I'm not ready by then, I want another week. If I don't know by then, why then I'll leave this house in shame, got it?!"

Soun nodded at the boy before Ranma spoke once more,

"Good then it's settled. Oh and one more thing; don't even _dare _try to push me to be with any one of them, because I want to choose the one I want for myself! Alright, I'm tired, so I'll be off now."

Ranma simply left the entire group of people he was with in shock and awe, as the men didn't know how to handle the boy's demands, while the girls couldn't even grasp that he was even a he. Even so, the next week would be an adventure and a half for everyone, especially a certain someone…

* * *

Hello peoples, hope you guys liked this chapter… I was kind of writing this off and on today, and I was sick so that didn't help very much… but I'm hoping what I wrote here was entertaining enough for you. Anyway, please leave a kind review and have a wonderful day!

-JT Jewels


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma, so lawyers can be cut up into tiny little pieces and be thrown to the sharks.

Hello peoples, sorry I haven't posted sooner, but then again I've had school, so sorry. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and hopefully after this one things will get moving. Please enjoy!

* * *

It was Sunday, a day of peace. However the Tendo household was not completely at peace, as Ranma and his father had begun a sparring match that morning, managing to wake everyone up at an early hour. Soun sat at the table sipping on tea and reading the daily newspaper, while Nabiki sat with her own cup of tea and a bowl of miso soup. Kasumi had already been awake, making breakfast for everyone. Akane was the last person downstairs, having just gotten dressed and ready for school,

"Honestly, you think they'd wait till everyone woke up!"

"Now now Akane, there's no reason to be upset, their passion and dedication for the art is what drives them to spar so early in the morning. I think it's a wonderful thing—"

He was interrupted by the sound of someone falling into the koi pond. The person that emerged was the redheaded Ranma-chan,

"You're gonna get it now pops!"

Soun's face went from a genuinely contented face to somewhat of a nervous one, as his earlier statement had just been turned on its head. Akane simply shook her head,

"Well if you call that a wonderful thing then you can count me out—" there was another splash, and out of the koi pond came a giant panda, "Like I said, count me out. I'm going to go get some soup."

With that she left for the kitchen to get a bowl of miso soup. Not long after Akane had eaten her bowl of miso soup, Kasumi had finished setting the table,

"Alright Ranma, Mr. Saotome, breakfast is ready!"

The two immediately stopped their sparring match and flew for the table, sitting in their appropriate spots. Both men began to eat their food furiously, either one trying to steal the other's food from their plates, much to the confused amusement of the girls. By the time the two of them were done, the rest of the group had only eaten about a quarter of their food. Now with full stomachs, the two martial artists went back outside and resumed their sparring match, but this time over a slice of pickle. While they sparred, the Tendos finished their food. Afterward Nabiki left for school. Akane was about to do the same, but wondered if Ranma was going to go,

"Hey you!"

Ranma didn't respond, frustrating Akane a bit,

"I _said, _hey you!"

Ranma finally noticed her, but was in no position for a chat,

"Wadda ya' want, I'm busy!"

"Are you gonna get ready for school?!"

"Wait, what?!"

Ranma felt a sudden jolt of pain go through his head, as his father landed a flying kick into his face, sending Ranma into the koi pond. When she resurfaced, she wasn't ready for the book bag that came flying towards her face. It nailed her in the face, and submerged her once more. She came up with the book bag in hand, only to find that her father was standing at the edge of the pond waiting for her,

"Well, are ya' gonna go or not?"

"Why should I?!"

"Because, Akane and Nabiki are both attending Furinkan High Schook, and I suggest you go if you want to get to know them better!"

"Yeah, well screw that, I don't wanna go to school!"

"I'm warnin' ya' boy, if you don't go to school, then you're _never _going to win their affection—"

Ranma flew up out of the koi pond, upper cutting her father in the process,

"Shut up pop, I'm not going to school and that's final!"

She picked the fat man up, and threw him into the koi pond, only to have a panda break the surface. She ignored the sign it held up, and continued up to their room. When Ranma got to the room, she sat down on her futon and stared out the window at the neighbor's house. There wasn't much else to do now, maybe do some training in the dojo or something, but that was all she could think of at the moment. However she would first have to change back into a he. So, Ranma took some spare cloths, and started out of her room. However as she opened the door, she came face to face with none other than Kasumi. Ranma jumped back a bit before realizing it was only Kasumi,

"Oh jeez… don't scare me like that. Anyway, what are you doing Kasumi?"

"Oh my I'm sorry Ranma, I didn't mean to startle you. I was just coming in to set incense for your father. Uh… I hope you don't mind me asking, but, why didn't you go to school with Akane and Nabiki? I do believe your father enrolled you at their school yesterday evening."

"Well, I didn't really want to go back to school yet. Besides, I don't even need school, my life is martial arts!"

"Really? Well, I think it would be good for you to go to school… you never know, you might just learn something you didn't think you'd need to know."

"Huh… I never thought of it that way… well, maybe in a few days I'll try going."

"That's the spirit. Um… Ranma? I hope I'm not asking too many questions, but, what do you think of this whole… 'engagement' thing?"

"Really I have no interest in having a fiancée at the moment. What I want to do is practice the art and go to China so I can rid myself if this damn curse!"

"I… see. Well I'm glad to see that you're so enthusiastic!"

"Hey Kasumi, since you asked me, what do _you _think of it?"

"I—uh… umm… you know, I still haven't really thought about it all that much. I mean, I haven't gotten to know you at all, and quite frankly I don't have any interest in the idea myself."

"So then we're agreed when it comes to thinking this whole thing is stupid?"

"I guess so."

"Good. Okay, so if you'll excuse me I'm going to go wash up and take a long hot bath."

"Alright Ranma."

With that, the redhead ran off to the furo, leaving Kasumi to carry out the request she was given.

* * *

In the bath, Ranma began to ponder his new situation; he'd just been betrothed to one of three sisters, whichever one he wanted. He couldn't wrap his head around it; his father had promised to have him married to a Tendo girl when he was just a baby. That wasn't the worst part though; the worst part was that his father promised to have him married off so that Ranma and a Tendo girl could carry on the Tendo dojo while the old man and Mr. Tendo could live the life of Riley. While Ranma pondered, a gigantic panda came in and made itself apparent. Ranma watched as it cleaned itself off best it could, and then hopped into the furo, causing a large portion of the water to come flooding out onto the floor. The panda transformed as it sat down, turning into none other than Genma.

Ranma was definitely not in the mood to see his father, and was most certainly not in the mood to speak to the man, especially because now he was stuck having to make a decision; a decision that would decide the rest of his life—and he only had a week to do so, maybe two, but only if his pops and Mr. Tendo would let him. Ranma closed his eyes and tilted his head back so that he could avoid eye contact with the old man. His efforts to avoid the old man were in vain however, as Genma spoke to him,

"So boy… you made a decision yet?"

"Say _what?"_

"I said, have you made a _decision_ yet?"

"No, no I haven't, and I don't plan on _making _one for quite a while."

"Oh Ranma, you make your father weep! How could this son of mine fail to make a simple decision between three beautiful girls to be betrothed to?! Oh woe is me—"

"Put a sock in it you idiot!"

Ranma decked the old man, sending him flying into the far wall,

"Ahh… damn it boy, have you no sense of honor?! Make a decision already or else you'll disgrace the Saotome clan!"

"Since when is refusing to decide something like that a disgrace?!"

"Boy you make me sick; you need to make a decision right now, don't you understand that?! A week just ain't gonna cut it, and you know it!"

"Yeah right! You know what? Screw this, I'm gonna take a nap, see ya' pops."

Ranma couldn't get any further than the door before he felt his pigtail being pulled, and the sensation of his body flying out the window could be felt. He landed in a tree outside the window, where he promptly gave his father a death glare before hopping over to their bedroom window, climbing in, and putting on his favorite Chinese cloths. Now fully clothed, he laid down on his futon and drifted off into dream land.

A few hours later, he was disturbed by his father slapping him while screaming,

"Wake up boy! I said wake _up! _Dinner's ready you idiot!"

Ranma instantly perked up when he heard the word 'dinner',

"Dinner?! Where?!!"

Genma whacked him once more, angering the boy,

"What the hell pop, what was _that _for?!"

"Just shut up and come downstairs."

"Alright alright already, let go of me!"

Genma let the boy go, to which Ranma brushed his shirt off lightly before following his dad downstairs to the dinner table, where he saw the Tendo family waiting for them,

"Ah, I see you two decided to join us! Now then, if you two would please sit down, we'll start dinner."

"Gladly, thanks Mr. Tendo."

The two sat down in their respective seats before dishing up and beginning their usual food wars. However before they could get too into it, they were interrupted by Soun clearing his throat,

"Ahem… now then, let us take care of some business, shall we?"

Ranma was confused, but Genma immediately sat up straight and began to eat properly, worrying Ranma a little. His worries only grew when Soun spoke once more,

"Alright then… Ranma, it's time you made a decision!"

Ranma face faulted, then rolled his eyes at the old man,

"God, do you two even know what a week is? I told ya', I'm not makin' a decision till the end of the week!"

"Boy we've called that off. You don't have a say really, just choose a damn girl and live with it!"

"What the hell pop, I thought we—"

"Son, don't make this any harder than it has to be, now make a decision, would you like me to refresh your mind on my daughters?"

"No, I'd rather not but—"

"No buts Ranma, choose one of them now or suffer the consequences!"

"Goddamn you guys are relentless! You know what, fine, I'll make a fuckin' decision. I…. uh…."

Ranma paused for a second to look at his choices more closely than he had before. He noticed that Akane had nice hips, but that was about it. As for Nabiki, she didn't have much in the way of hips, but definitely had a supple chest, making Ranma smirk just a bit. Then he looked at Kasumi; when he thought about it, he never did quite see her body too well, because she always dressed in loose dresses that didn't cling to her body. He couldn't really make a decision based off of their bodies, so he looked back on their personalities. From what he knew about Akane, she thought that most guys were perverts that deserved to die, and she had a temper so bad that she would get set off at anything, not to mention she was really violent with everything, and as far as Ranma knew she was just another jock. He thought she was cute, but that was about all he was going to give her. He looked at Nabiki, and thought about it; he'd only known her for about two days now, and as far as he knew she was just a normal high school girl, but she acted like an ice queen, which was a big turn off for him. Finally, he took into consideration that Kasumi was actually a very kind person, though a bit dense and more than a bit oblivious, but Ranma thought that was kind of cute for her. Plus she was already graduated from high school, and she knew how to cook and clean, cooking being the more important thing to Ranma.

With all of those thoughts running through his head, he looked across the three girls closely, meeting eyes with all three of them several times as they waited patiently. About five intense minutes later, he looked at Nabiki—no, at Akane—no, at Kasumi, and he continued to look at Kasumi before saying,

"There. I've made my choice. Kasumi, you're up."

Kasumi's cheeks began to turn red as she sat up straight, trying to comprehend what just happened,

"O-oh my… so… does that mean that… we're getting married?"

"Woah woah woah, since when were we getting married so soon—"

"Hoorah! The boy finally made a decision, it's time we started preparations for the wedding, shall we Tendo?"

"Yes we shall Saotome—"

"Hold on for two seconds you old goons, what the hell are you up to? I don't plan on marryin'er just yet!"

"But Ranma, my dear Kasumi's the one you're going to be spending the rest of your life with, don't you want to make her happy and marry?"

"Just hold your fuckin' horses Mr. Tendo, I'm sure she'll agree with me when I say we want to wait and get to know each other better, right Kasumi?"

"Uh—um… yes, I agree."

"There see, she agrees with me. You don't want to make Kasumi unhappy, do you?"

"N-no, I'd rather not. Come now, let's continue dinner, shall we Saotome?"

"But Tendo, I thou—"

"You thought nothing Saotome, sit down and eat your damn dinner."

"A-alright… sheesh…"

With that, dinner continued in awkward silence as the newly betrothed couple pondered their 'questionable' future together…

* * *

Hello peoples! Sorry it took so long to get this out, but then again school is a raging bitch that doesn't know when to quit, so yeah… lol. Anyway, here's your chapter, and I hope I haven't rushed things. Just tell me what you think and I'll be sure to fix the story as needed. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it thus far and I will try to post sooner next time! Please leave a kind review and have a wonderful day!

-JT Jewels


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